La Fundación de la Seu Vella
On a day like today, more than eight centuries ago, the first stone of what we know today as the Seu Vella of Lleida was laid. Before this event, the site had undergone various transformations, including the demolition of previous structures and the clearing of the land that housed the ancient early Christian basilica, dating from the 4th to 8th centuries. This area had also been used by a Muslim mosque between the 8th and 12th centuries. The ceremony was marked by the presence of King Pedro I of Barcelona and II of Aragon, Count Ermengol VII of Urgell, Bishop Gombau of Camporrells, as well as the architect Pere de Coma.
The Headquarters of Sant Llorenç
After the reconquest of the city in 1149, the temple of Sant Llorenç was erected, which occupied the role of cathedral for more than a century, until 1278. However, the notable growth of the population led both civil and ecclesiastical leaders to opt for the construction of a more imposing temple. This new cathedral would adopt a Romanesque style, with a plan and elevations organized in ‘ad quadrantum’, a design that reflected the Benedictine influences of the Normandy region. Lasting 75 years, it was Bishop Guillem de Montcada who consecrated the new building on October 31, 1278, in the presence of King Pedro II, a descendant of the king who had laid the first stone.
A Key Moment in the History of Catalonia
Santa Maria l’Antiga became the scene of a fundamental episode in Catalan history. On August 15, 1214, Jaime I, a boy of only six years old, who had suffered the loss of his parents, entered the temple holding the hand of Escárago de la Barca, his guardian and relative of he. The little boy was heading towards the altar to receive the crown. The exceptional circumstances in which they found themselves, after the tragic death of his father and many nobles in the battle of Muret, made possible the celebration of the only joint coronation of the Catalan and Aragonese estates in the history of Catalonia.